Herb Alpert
On Wednesday, American trumpeter Herb Alpert is set to bring his brand and Tijuana Brass style of music to the Walker Theatre in Chattanooga.
Tantara, tantara! (Trumpet sound).
Alpert, 89, said last week, “My older sister asked me, ‘Why in the world are you doing this at your age?’ (I told her) It gives me pleasure. I have a gift that I give to other people. It’s a feeling that gives me energy. And it’s a win-win for me because I enjoy doing it.”
Collectivelly, Alpert has sold an estimated 72 million albums worldwide. He has also received prestigious honors like the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, eight Grammys and a Tony Award as well. Alpert was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Lastly, in 2013, President Barack Obama presented him with the National Medal of Arts.
But outside of the accolades, his passion and commitment to his craft, and his fans has never wavered.
“We’re close to Christmas, so we'll probably play a couple of Christmas songs,” Alpert said regarding the venue’s playlist. “I am really looking forward to just playing, playing with the guys and being in a beautiful venue that's very nice.”
Finding his own lane, while making his mark on the genre, Alpert has enjoyed a storied and prolific career, recording 28 albums that have appeared on the U.S. Billboard top 200 chart, five of which reached No. 1; he has gone platinum (selling one million copies of one album) 14 times and has gone gold 15 times (selling 500,000 copies of one album). Alpert also made history, becoming the only musician to have reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as both a vocalist, "This Guy's in Love with You" in 1968 and as an instrumentalist "Rise" in 1979.
“My style, I hope, is an original style,” Alpert said jokingly. “You know, for many years I tried playing like my favorite jazz musicians - artists like Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. Harry James. It was a process figuring out as well as establishing what the people wanted to hear. When it came to certain nuances, rhythms and melodies, I would say, ‘They have already done it.’ So, I was looking for my own voice. I think that’s the most important. As an artist to find your own way of expressing yourself and I think I’ve done that.”
A jack of all trades, Alpert also plays the piano and paints and sculpts. Alpert has participated in different art galleries throughout the United States and Europe. Alpert’s sculpture exhibit, "Herb Alpert: Black Totems" in Beverly Hills in 2010 showcased a different facet of his repertoire prompting media attention for his visual art.
Alpert believes that what he helped build with record executive Jerry Moss at A&M Records remains the biggest achievement on his resume.
“The authenticity and integrity that Jerry Moss and I brought to A&M records,” Alpert said, "is what separated the label we co-founded from all the others. I was recording for a major record company prior to A&M, and I was treated like a number. Even when I was recording, I was No. 38265 take four. I didn't like that feeling and I didn't like the general atmosphere as an artist at this major company (Carnival Records), and I thought if I ever had my own record company, it would be centered around the artist, the musicians; they would be first in line. So, we've always taken that approach.”